Breakdown of Das Foto ist vom Fotografen.
sein
to be
vom
from the (von + dem) / of the (belonging to) / by the (agent in a passive clause)
das Foto
the photo
der Fotograf
the photographer
Questions & Answers about Das Foto ist vom Fotografen.
Why is it Fotografen instead of Fotograf?
Fotograf is a masculine "weak noun" (part of the N-declension group). These nouns add an -n or -en ending in every case except the nominative (the subject). Because it comes after the dative preposition von, it gets the -en ending here to become Fotografen.
Where does the word vom come from?
vom is a contraction of the preposition von (meaning "from" or "by") and the dative masculine article dem. Instead of saying von dem Fotografen, you squeeze them together into vom Fotografen.
Wait, doesn't Fotografen mean "photographers" (plural)?
It can! For weak nouns like Fotograf, the plural form and the non-subject singular forms look exactly the same. You have to use the context to tell them apart. Here, the article hidden inside vom (von dem) is singular. If it were plural, it would be von den Fotografen.
Is Fotograf always a male photographer?
Yes, der Fotograf specifically refers to a male photographer. If the photo was taken by a female photographer, you would use the feminine form die Fotografin. (Note: Feminine nouns do not use N-declension, so it would be von der Fotografin).
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